Surgical suture apparatus

Abstract

A surgical suture apparatus for passing a double-ended surgical needle forwards and backwards includes a first and second jaw element, and an operating device to operate a first holding device in the first jaw element and a second holding device in the second jaw element to alternately hold a first needle-end by the first holding device and a second needle-end by the second holding device. The first jaw element and second jaw element are movable with respect to each other between a take-over position and an open position. The operating device includes a switch device movable between a first operating position, in which a needle is held by the first holding device, and a second operating position, in which the needle is held by the second holding device, and an activation device configured to move the switch device between the first operating position and the second operating position. The activation device includes a spring and a release device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A surgical suture apparatus for passing a double-ended surgical needle forwards and backwards, wherein the surgical apparatus comprises:
 a first jaw element, comprising a first holding device to hold a first needle-end of the surgical needle, 
 a second jaw element comprising a second holding device to hold a second needle-end of the surgical needle, 
 an operating device to operate the first holding device and the second holding device to alternately hold the first needle-end by the first holding device and the second needle-end by the second holding device, and 
 wherein the first jaw element and second jaw element are movable with respect to each other between a take-over position, wherein a surgical needle can be passed between the first holding device and the second holding device, and an open position, wherein the first holding device and the second holding device are spaced further from each other, 
 wherein the operating device comprises: 
 a switch device movable between a first operating position, in which a needle is held by the first holding device, and a second operating position, in which the needle is held by the second holding device, and 
 an activation device configured to move the switch device between the first operating position and the second operating position, 
 wherein the activation device comprises a spring and a spring release, wherein the spring is configured to be pre-tensioned by movement of the first jaw element and second jaw element, from the open position to the take-over position, and wherein the spring release is configured to release, upon activation, the pre-tensioned spring to move the switch device between the first operating position and the second operating position. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first jaw element and the second jaw element are configured to be, in an activation movement, at least partly moved from the take-over position towards each other, and wherein the spring release is configured to be released by the activation movement. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein during the activation movement of the first jaw element and the second jaw element, the first jaw element and the second jaw element rotate about the respective needle ends arranged in the first holding device and the second holding device. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first jaw element and/or the second jaw element are configured to be bendable in order to move the first jaw element and the second jaw element towards each other from the take-over position. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the activation device comprises:
 a movable hammer configured to switch the switch device between the first operating position and the second operating position by movement of the hammer from a start position to an activation position, 
 wherein the spring, when pre-tensioned, is arranged to push the hammer element towards the activation position, 
 wherein the spring release is movable between a blocking position, in which the spring release blocks movement of the hammer towards the activation position, and a release position, in which the hammer can freely move from the start position towards the activation position, wherein the spring release is biased in the blocking position, and 
 wherein, upon activation, the spring release is moved from the blocking position to the release position to release the hammer to move towards the activation position. 
 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the activation device comprises a spring compression element to compress the spring when the first jaw element and the second jaw element are moved towards each other, from the open position to the take-over position. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the spring compression element is configured to move the spring release from a blocking position to a release position. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the activation device comprises a first connection element rotatably connected to the first jaw element and to the spring compression element, and a second connection element rotatably connected to the second jaw element and to the spring compression element, wherein the first connection element and the second connection element are configured to transfer the activation movement of the first jaw element and the second jaw element to the spring compression element. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the switch device is tiltable between the first operating position and the second operating position. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the activation device comprises a pusher element to cooperate with the switch device, and wherein the switch device comprises a first cam profile and a second cam profile, wherein the first cam profile is configured to cooperate with the pusher element to move the switch device from the first operating position to the second operating position, and wherein the second cam profile is configured to cooperate with the pusher element to move the switch device from the second operating position to the first operating position. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the spring release comprises a tiltable lever element, which is tiltable between the release position and the blocking position. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the lever element is configured to be at least partially plastically deformed during assembly, in order to adapt the shape of the lever element during assembly to compensate for play or tolerances in other parts of the apparatus. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first holding device and the second holding device each comprise a needle channel to receive a respective needle-end and a needle locking element, and
 wherein each needle locking element is movable between a non-locking position in which the respective needle end freely move out of the needle channel and a locking position in which the respective needle end is locked in the needle channel, wherein each needle locking element is biased with a biasing force towards the locking position. 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 ,
 wherein the switch device is configured to pull, in the first operating position, the needle locking element of the second holding device against the biasing force into the non-locking position, and 
 wherein the switch device is configured to pull, in the second operating position, the needle locking element of the first holding device against the biasing force into the non-locking position. 
 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the apparatus comprises at least one needle release, wherein the needle release is configured to move, by manual actuation, the needle locking element of the first holding device and/or the needle locking element of the second holding device into the non-locking position, while the first jaw element and the second jaw element are in the open position, to allow removal of the needle out of the apparatus. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 13 ,
 wherein the apparatus comprises an elongate first lock control element, which connects the switch device with the needle locking element of the first holding device and which is slidably arranged in a channel arranged in the first jaw element, and 
 wherein the apparatus comprises an elongate second lock control element, which connects the switch device with the needle locking element of the second holding device and which is slidably arranged in a channel arranged in the second jaw element.